A former permanent secretary in Osun, Fatai Kolawole, has urged civil servants in Nigeria to accept the N62,000 new minimum wage offered by President Bola Tinubu’s government.

Mr Kolawole, who retired as permanent secretary in the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), stated this in an interview with journalists on Wednesday in Modakeke, Ife East LGA, Osun.

He attributed his position on the new minimum wage for Nigerian workers to the present economic downturn, which, he said, was global.

Mr Kolawole, however, described the economic challenges as a passing phase, calling on Nigerians, particularly the civil servants, to exercise patience with President Bola Tinubu on the country’s economic condition.

He said that civil servants should consider the N62,000 minimum wage offered by the government for now, as things would gradually improve.

The retired permanent secretary expressed the hope that petroleum product prices would soon come down, particularly with the ongoing turnaround maintenance of the Port Harcourt Refinery and the coming on stream of the Dangote Refinery.

“Dangote Refinery has reduced diesel price from N1,600 to N1,200 per litre and has said that by July, petrol will come down to between N400 and N400 per litre. We should note that the economic downturn is global, as those in foreign countries are also not having it easy. So what is happening is not in Nigeria alone. It should, however, be seen as a passing phase,” he said.

Mr Kolawole noted that the federal government was rejigging the system, during which things might be hard.

“This is a bitter pill that Nigeria must take now and hopefully, within the next one year, things will change for better. Surely, there’s light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.

Mr Kolawole expressed confidence in the handlers of the nation’s economy, whom he described as capable hands, assuring that things would soon turn around for the better.

(NAN)